TLDR: Abu Dhabi has unveiled an ambitious ‘Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027’ to transform into the world’s first AI-native government by 2027. The AED 13 billion (approximately $3.5 billion) initiative focuses on 100% sovereign cloud adoption, complete process digitization, a unified ERP platform, and the deployment of over 200 AI solutions across all public sectors. This human-centric approach aims to enhance public services, optimize operations, and empower a digitally skilled workforce, setting a global benchmark for AI-driven governance.
Abu Dhabi is rapidly advancing its vision to establish the world’s first AI-native government by 2027, a transformative endeavor outlined in its ‘Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027’. This ambitious plan, spearheaded by the Department of Government Enablement (DGE) in collaboration with various government entities, is backed by a substantial investment of AED 13 billion (approximately $3.5 billion) allocated for innovation and technology adoption through 2025-2027. The strategy aims to position the emirate as a global leader in AI-driven public administration.
At the core of this transformation is the establishment of a robust digital infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is committed to achieving 100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing for all government operations, ensuring that every bit of government data resides on securely controlled infrastructure. Concurrently, 100% of government processes are being digitized and automated, moving towards a system where every form, approval, and workflow is digital and machine-readable. A unified digital Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, powered by Oracle Fusion, is being implemented to create a ‘single nervous system’ for the entire government, facilitating seamless communication and secure data sharing among over 40 entities.
His Excellency Wesam Lootah, Director General of GovDigital, highlighted the comprehensive nature of this undertaking in an exclusive interview, stating, ‘Scaling AI across 40+ government entities required more than technology; it demanded a shared framework of policies, infrastructure, and purpose.’ He emphasized that this foundational work is crucial, as ‘without it, AI is just wishful thinking.’
More than 100 AI use cases are already deployed across over 40 government entities, with plans to implement over 200 innovative AI solutions across various sectors, including healthcare, transportation, education, and public safety. These AI-driven tools are designed to optimize decision-making, automate routine tasks, and provide real-time insights. A notable innovation is ‘AutoGov,’ described as the world’s first AI public servant, which automates recurring tasks such as ID renewals and utility payments, projected to save citizens millions of hours annually.
Workforce transformation is another critical pillar, with over 25,000 employees trained through the Abu Dhabi Government AI and digital-first programs, covering ethics, data literacy, and applied AI. This initiative ensures that AI amplifies human capabilities rather than replacing them, enabling employees to engage in predictive decision-making and more empathetic citizen engagement. The result is a government that is not only smarter but also ‘more human,’ leading to a customer satisfaction rate exceeding 92.5% on platforms like TAMM.
The strategy is deeply human-centric, guided by an AI Ethics Framework and international standards to ensure fairness, accountability, and explainability. His Excellency Ahmed Hisham Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), affirmed, ‘The Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027 reflects our leadership’s vision of being an AI-native government, seamlessly integrating AI across all government systems for a future that is proactive, agile and fully technology-enabled.’ He added that this integration will ‘transform public service delivery, optimise government operations, and drive sustainable economic growth.’
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Abu Dhabi’s commitment to AI is not new. The UAE launched the world’s first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and founded the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019. This long-term vision has attracted significant international interest, including a partnership between Nvidia Inc. and Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) to establish the first AI center in the Middle East. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss strategic collaboration, following OpenAI’s announcement of the ‘Stargate UAE’ project, a colossal 1-gigawatt data center under development in Abu Dhabi. These collaborations underscore Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become a global hub and testbed for AI-driven governance.
